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Gael-Taca - Thank God the property market has collapsed

Cork-based Irish language marketing organisation Gael-Taca have a free service to property developers to come up with names i nGaeilge for new residential developments. Thanks largely to the Gael-Taca free service there is a significant number (significant in my view being around 10%) of new residential developments being named i nGaeilge in every county in the Republic today over the last five or so years bar in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare (in Kildare it's around 5% which is arguably albeit to a lesser extent significant also). In several counties there are a large number of new residential developments being named in Irish- 30%+.

The "main man" in Gael-Taca was Pádraig Ó Cuanacháin who died in March of this year. He was clearly (although largely unknown) the best Irish language activist in the country. You can read an article about him from The Irish Times here.

Pádraig was the marketing man in Gael-Taca. Although other people have skills to keep the show on the road Gael-Taca was in many ways a one man show. He once for example was involved with marketing in Barry's Tea and knew the sector. Gael-Taca have advertised a position to fill Pádraig's place although the chances of them getting anyone as good or as dedicated as Pádraig are between slim and none.

So, in this recession we are in and with the property market having collapsed we can be encouraged to know that there are one group of people down in Cork who are not under any pressure today to name new residential developments in Irish!!!

They were funded by the Dept. of the Gaeltacht and a couple of city/county councils. They also occasionally were given money by business people.

So our tax money paid for this "free" service.

If businesses needed a company to come up with maes for their products they should pay.
I have no problem with local authorities spending my tax money like this, but private enterprises should not get subsidised for a service they should be paying for themselves.

I have no problem with local authorities spending my tax money like this, but private enterprises should not get subsidised for a service they should be paying for themselves.

Yes but at very least a significant number- if not a large number- of developers would not avail of the Gael-Taca service if they had to pay. Thereby there wouldn't be as many names i nGaeilge around the country.

Yes but at very least a significant number- if not a large number- of developers would not avail of the Gael-Taca service if they had to pay. Thereby there wouldn't be as many names i nGaeilge around the country.

And thus is capitalism! If they don't pay, they don't pay. You can't prop up a market for any service jsut by subsidising it. This has been proved time and again.